


The Marauders Four-Step Guide to Blind Dates

by MoonCat457



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blind Date, Christmas, First Kiss, Getting Together, Good Peter Pettigrew, Hogwarts Era, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mutual Pining, Oblivious Remus Lupin, Oblivious Sirius Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28118772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonCat457/pseuds/MoonCat457
Summary: Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present The Marauders Four-Step Guide to Blind DatesJames and Peter are tired of watching the other two marauders pine over each other. So, with the help of Lily, they come up with a plan to nudge Remus and Sirius together. And if this plan also happened to nudge James and Lily together, then all the better.
Relationships: Minor James Potter/Lily Evans Potter - Relationship, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75
Collections: The Wolfstar Secret Snowflake Exchange 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pan_and_ready_to_stan (vaindumbass)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaindumbass/gifts).



> Written for Wolfstar Secret Snowflake Exchange 2020.

## Step One: Set up the date

### Prongs

It’s been three years, and Sirius and Remus hadn’t gotten past the longing stares across the common room and the “strictly platonic cuddling” to confess that they had feelings for each other, and James and Peter were tired of it. They were tired of watching the other two marauders pine over each other, making everyone in Gryffindor wish they would just get a room already. So James and Peter—well, more Peter—came up with a plan. A four-step plan of which James was carrying out the first step.

He found Lily in the library with Mary, Peter’s almost-girlfriend, swung one of the chairs at their table around and sat in it, facing the wrong way with his arms draped over the back of it. “Lily, Mary, how are you doing this fine evening?”

“What do you want, Potter?” Lily asked in a no-nonsense tone, but there was a hint of a smile as she looked up from her potions textbook.

“Getting right to it. Alright then,” he said playfully. “I need your help to get Sirius and Remus together.”

“Oh, finally,” Mary piped up.

“I’m assuming you have a plan,” Lily said.

“I do,” James said, nodding. “We tell them that we’re going on a group date—You and me, Peter and Mary, and them with blind dates. Except, their “blind dates” are each other."

She glared at him. “If this is just some trick to finally get me to agree to a date with you, you can—”

“It’s not, I promise!” He assured her quickly. “I can just tell how miserable they are. All they need is a little nudge, but if we set them up on blind dates, just on their own, it might not go well. If we’re there, we can continue to nudge if necessary.”

She looked at him skeptically.

“Besides, it’s not actually my plan. It’s Peter. I’m just responsible for this part.”

“And what is Peter responsible for?”

“Step two: Making sure they don’t get suspicious,” James said.

Lily sighed and stared at him for a long moment, as if judging his sincerity, then nodded. “Alright, I’m in. But I don’t want to lie to either of them. So we’re just going to have to get creative with the truth.”

“Fine by me. I’m a terrible liar anyway,” he said with a shrug.

Over the next half an hour, they came up with the plan’s details, which James would fill Peter in on later. Once they were done, James bounded up to the Gryffindor dorm room, where the other three marauders were studying for the charms end-of-term exam they had the next morning.

“Lads, it’s a Christmas miracle!” James exclaimed as he threw the door open.

“What are you going on about, Prongs?” Sirius asked from Remus’ bed. His head rested in Remus’ lap while he quizzed him, and James exchanged a covert look with Peter.

“Lily finally agreed to go out with me!”


	2. Chapter 2

## Step Two: Don’t Raise Suspicion

### Wormtail

Since James accomplished the first step of the plan, Peter took the lead for the second step which is for the best because not raising suspicion is not James’ strong suit. It’s why he’s never in charge of distractions for pranks. No, that’s always Peter’s job. It would be Remus’ job since he’s the most innocent looking out of the four of them, helped by the fact that he’s a prefect, but usually, Remus is the one who needs to put the finishing touches on their pranks.

So, three days before the group date, when Sirius and Remus asked questions about who they were being set up with, Peter took the lead in answering. He claimed that Lily hadn’t given him or James the names of her friends—which was technically the truth. Names weren’t necessary when they were being set up with each other. But they didn’t take that as the end of the discussion, so Peter resorted to telling them that Sirius was being set up with a prefect friend of Lily’s, while Remus was being set up with a friend from Lily’s potions class. Both technically the truth, not the whole truth, but the truth nonetheless. 

Thankfully, it was enough information to distract Sirius and Remus until the Hogsmeade trip that Saturday. They missed the carriages because Sirius took forever to do his hair, “wanting to look good for meeting his date,” which was ironic since his date was the one who needed to use a well-placed aguamenti to wake him up that morning. So, by the time they all made it to the front of the Three Broomsticks, they were chilled to the bone and slightly covered in snowflakes. 

Mary and Lily stood under the awning in front of the Three Broomsticks, arms linked to keep warm. When they saw the boys, they untangled from each other so Mary could greet her almost-boyfriend. 

“Hi, Petey,” she said, leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

James stood up straight and smiled at Lily, who gave him a small smile in return. “You look lovely, Lily,” he said before producing a flower seemingly out of nowhere to hand her. 

She blushed and was about to say something in response when Sirius interrupted her. 

“Hey, Evans, not that I’m not happy to see you and Prongs finally hitting it off, but where are Moony’s and my dates?” 

Lily seemed to be shaken from whatever moment she was having with James and blankly stared at him. “You really haven’t figured it out yet?”

Sirius and Remus shared a confused look. 

“Oh, for heaven’s sake—” she cried in exasperation. “You’re each other’s dates.”

“What?” Sirius sputtered. “But—but that makes no sense—Prongs? Wormy?” He glances wildly between them while pointedly avoiding looking at Remus, who was uncharacteristically silent about the recent development.

“You two were in on this?”

“It was my idea, actually,” Peter admitted, although there was no trace of shame in his voice. “Everyone’s sick of watching you two—well, moon over each other. It’s been three years.”

“Honestly,” James began. “You two are worse than I was with Lily—”

“No, they aren’t,” Lily and Mary said in unison.

“But they are right,” Mary said. “Everyone’s seemed to notice that you both are head-over-heels for each other… except for you two, apparently.”

Finally, Sirius gave Remus a panicked look, as if he was asking Remus to help him deny it. But Remus stayed silent, opening and closing his mouth like a guppy as he tried to find his words.

Peter glanced at Lily and jerked his head to the door.

Lily nodded and slipped her hand into James’. “We’ll meet you two inside,” she said, pulling James toward the door. 

He stared wide-eyed at their clasped hands, seeming to have lost all train of thought, and mumbled a quiet, “what?” 

Peter gave him a pointed look as he held a hand out for Mary to take. “Step three, remember?” He hissed through his teeth.


	3. Chapter 3

## Step Three: Confess Your Feelings Already (for Merlin’s Sake)

### Padfoot

Sirius continued to stare at Remus while everyone else went inside the Three Broomsticks, hoping he didn’t look as panicked as he was inside. 

“They can’t possibly be serious. Nothing is going on between us,” he croaked. Wincing at how unconvincing he sounded, he cleared his throat. “I mean, they’re crazy, right?”

Remus gave a hollow laugh. “Yeah, they’re totally crazy,” he said in a voice that wasn’t really his own. It was higher than usual, and he wasn’t making eye contact. Instead, he was staring at a spot over Sirius’ head.

Interesting. 

“Cause we’re just friends, right?” Sirius continued. 

“Yeah, just friends,” Remus mumbled. “I mean, you don’t even like blokes, and if you did—”

“I don’t _not_ like blokes,” he blurted.

“What?”

“I mean—” Sirius cleared his throat again— “I’ve never dated a bloke, but I think for me, it’s more about the person.”

“Oh, well, even still, I wouldn’t be that person,” Remus said.

He’d said it in an off-handed way, but after six years of friendship, Sirius knew Remus’ nuances. And if he wasn’t mistaken, Remus sounded almost bitter.

“Why not?”

“Sirius, look at you, then look at me.”

“I am looking,” he said sincerely, taking an unconscious step closer. “And I see someone smart and funny, with kind eyes and adorable jumpers, and someone who is probably way too good for me.”

Remus’ lips part slightly as he stares up at Sirius.

“Not that it matters,” Sirius adds hastily. “Because you don’t like blokes, and we’re just friends. Although, half the time I wonder why you’re even my friend.”

“I do, though.”

Sirius looks at him, slightly confused. 

“Like blokes, I mean. I like both,” he whispers.

Sirius takes another unconscious step closer. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“They were onto something—Lily, James, Pete, and Mary—weren’t they?”

“I—I don’t—” Remus took a deep breath and let it out shakily. “I think they might have been.”

Sirius held his breath. “How come we were the last to know?”

He let out another hollow laugh. “We’re both stubborn and self-deprecating?”

“Two peas in a pod, you and me.”

Their awkward laughter faded as they locked eyes. 

“Hey, Moons?”

“Yeah, Pads?”

“Can—” Sirius let out a sharp exhale. “Can I kiss you now, or do I have to wait until the end of our date?”

Remus’ breath hitched, and he nodded furiously. “Now, please,” he croaked.

Sirius closed the rest of the distance between them and brought his hands up to cradle his face. He spent a moment looking into Remus’ honey eyes, then dipped his head down to bring their lips together. It was soft, tentative, a little awkward with neither of them moving their lips all that much, but it was still hands down the best kiss Sirius ever had.


	4. Chapter 4

## Step Four: Live Happily Ever After

### Moony

When they pulled apart, Remus had to settle his hands on Sirius’ waist to steady himself. He’d been kissed before, sure, but no girl or boy that he’d ever kissed before compared to kissing Sirius Black. It was gentle and sweet, but dizzying all the same. He let out a shuddering exhale and leaned his forehead against Sirius’, his eyes still closed.

They stayed there for a long moment, then Remus felt Sirius’ thumb brush his cheekbone, forcing him to open his eyes. 

Sirius smiled softly. “Should we go inside for our group date?”

Remus nodded and smiled back. “You know, Peter’s insistence on calling it a group date rather than a quadruple date suddenly makes a lot more sense.”

Sirius laughed and took one of Remus’ hands, interlacing their fingers. “We’re so dim,” he said with a dramatic sigh before leading them into the Three Broomsticks. 

They found James, Lily, Peter, and Mary at a booth in the back corner waiting for them with butterbeer.

“So, is everything sorted?” James asked before they’d even slipped into the booth to sit.

“Potter, they were holding hands when they walked up. I’d say that means they’re sorted,” Lily teased.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” James countered. “You held my hand fifteen minutes ago, and you’ve made it perfectly clear that you don’t want to date me.”

“But I also said I wasn’t going to lie as a part of this little scheme.”

“So… this is a real date?” James asked, trying to hide his excitement.

“Yes, James, it is.” She smiled softly and hooked her arm through his.

He beamed at her. “James. You called me James.”

“Good job, Prongs. Your grand scheme worked for us, and you finally got the girl as an bonus,” Sirius joked.

Everyone laughed, then Peter trained Sirius and Remus with a focused gaze. “So you two are…?”

Remus looked up at Sirius with a question. “We haven’t really put a label on it—” he started to say, slightly panicked, but stopped when he saw the look of utmost admiration on Sirius’ face.

“Yeah, we are,” Sirius said, softly but confidently, without even looking at Peter.

Remus let out a relieved and slightly breathless laugh as Sirius slipped an arm around his shoulder. He snuggled closer and laced his fingers with Sirius’ on the hand that was draped over his shoulder.

The group seemed satisfied with that answer, so they moved the conversation forward, talking about classes and the upcoming holidays. Not that Remus was really paying attention. He was too busy reveling in the feeling of being tucked under his best friend’s arm and the way Sirius was idly playing with his fingers.

After a while, Sirius pressed a kiss to his curls and took his other hand in his. “So, I was thinking…” he whispered as not to interrupt the group conversation.

Remus turned his head to press a kiss to Sirius’ knuckles. “Yeah?”

“I know you said you’d be fine, but I’m going to stay over the holidays with you.”

Remus stilled and pivoted to face him. “But what about the Potters?”

“I’ll head there after the full. I’ll talk to Minnie about traveling by floo from her office on Boxing Day,” he said, then he smiled. “Maybe you could come with me. Meet the parents.”

“Padfoot, I’ve already met the Potters.”

“Not as my boyfriend, you haven’t.”

Remus wanted to argue, to tell him that he should go spend the holidays with his adopted family, but he couldn’t bring himself to. The idea that his friend—that his boyfriend would want to stay with him for the holidays, just the two of them, rendered him nearly speechless. So, instead of arguing, he slid his hand into Sirius’ raven curls and pulled him in for a crushing kiss.

“Thank you,” he panted once they parted. 

“Of course,” Sirius said. A ghost of a blush dusted his cheeks as he brushed their noses together. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I left you here alone on Christmas Day?”

He kissed him again, softer this time. “I like that.” Another kiss.

“Boyfriend?” Sirius asked, and Remus nodded. “Me, too,” he agreed before bringing their lips together again.

“They’re going to be more insufferable now that they’re together than when they were pining, aren’t they?” Remus heard Peter whisper to James.

“Probably,” James whispered back.

Normally, Remus would be embarrassed, but he was too happy to care, and besides, neither James nor Peter sounded all that disappointed in their friends’ happiness, anyway.


End file.
